Process of reducing metals and producing alloys thereof.



UNITED STATES 1 PATENT OFFICE. I

HENRY SPENCER BLAOKMORE, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEWV YORK.

PROCESS OF REDUCING, METALS AND PRODUCING ALLOYS THEREOF.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,282, dated May 6, 1902.

' Application filed February 14, 1900. Renewed March 15, 1901.- Serial No. 51 ,890. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern;

Beit known that I, HENRY SPENCER BLACK- MORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon in the county of WVestches,

ter and State of New York, have invented certain new. andv useful Improvements in Processes of BeducingMetals and Producing Alloys Th ereof; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of theinventiomsnch as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertainsto make and use the same.

The object of'my invention is to reduce aluminium and other metals from their ores or'combinations in a rapid, economical, and

efficient manner; and it consists in exposing metallic compounds or combinations containlng two or more non-metallic elements, one of which'is oxygen,tothe combined actionof the elements ofa metallic carbid in a heated condition. 7

My invention relates particularly tothe reduction of aluminium from its ores or combinations, but is applicable to other metals and is therefore not limited to the same. v

As an illustration of'my invention as practically carried out I will describe the reduction of aluminium from its oxyfluorid or mixture of aluminium fluorid and oxid, which may be considered its described equivalent from a reducing standpoint, as the union thereof on heating produces a compound containing fiuorin and oxygen com bined with aluminium.

The aluminiumoxyfluorid or its described i equivalent is mixed with calcium carbid and heated, when a double reaction occurs, the

calcium finally taking thefl'uorin, producing" calcium flnorid, and the carbon of the oarbid. taking up or combining with the oxygen,pro-' ducing carbonic oxid thus: I; I

Al F +2Al O +3OaO,: 6Al+3CaF +6CO.

This mixture of aluminium oxid and fluorigi' with calcium carbid may be intimately mixed elements-2'. e.,' the metallic base of the carbid absorbing or combining with the fiuorin and the carbon thereof combining with the oxygen.

Alloys mixture of oxid and fluorid of two or more may be produced by employing a metals-as,forexample, the production of aluminium-copper alloy I mix copper oxid and aluminium fluorid and heat the same in a proper container with Ca( when the elev ments of the carbid absorb and combine with the ele ctron egative elements of the copper and aluminium compounds, leaving said metals in a free state in the form of alloy and transformingthe calcium carbid into calcium fluorid and carbonic oxid, thus utilizing the carbid wholly as a reducing agent, the metallic base absorbing the 'fluorin and the combined carbon the oxygen, reducing the copper and aluminium to a metallic state and utilizing the whole 'of the heat liberated from transformation of carbid. be readily seen that my process consists in reducing metals with metallic carbid in such a manner that the electronegative elements of the compounds to be reduced have greater affinity for' both elements of the carbid than the metals with which they are combined, thus utilizing the'combined reducing power of the elements of the metallic carbid andthe entire heat of its combination within the mass, thereby performing perfect reduction at l'owerexternalor applied-temperaturesi. 'e.,' the carbids being endothermic compounds absorbing an excess of heat on formaation,'therefore liberating iton decomposition, whereby it is immediately utilized in the mixture. h g

It is obvious that any'pratzticalmetallic carbid may be employed as reducing agent and any metallic compound'to be'reduced so long as thecombined elements of the carbid have greater affin'ity for the electronegative' elements of thecom pound or composition to be reduced.

Instead of an oxyfiuorid I can employan oxyclilorid or other oxyhaloid or any metallic compound containing oxygen and another non-metallic element in combination or a mixture ofan oxid with other binary salt which may be considered a described equivalent from a reducing standpoint-21 e., the

It can therefore metal from which is reduced by the action of combined elements of the carbid.

The terms oxyfluorid and oxyhaloid as herein employed are intended to describe a composition'containing oxygen and fluorin or haloid element combined with metal and is intended to include mixtures of metallic oxid and haloid salts as equivalents thereof, as well as actual chemical compounds perse, and the term metallic carbid relates to compositions of carbon with ordinarily solid or liquid metal.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The process of reducing metals, which consists in exposing a composition therefor to be reduced containing metal and two or more non-metallic elements to the action of heat and a metallic carbid the combined elements of which are capable of combining with the electroncgative constituents of the compound, substantially as described.

2. The process of reducing metals, which consists in exposing a metallic oxyhaloid compound to the action of heat and a metallic carbid, the combined elements of which are capable of uniting with the electronegative constituents of the material to be reduced.

3. The process of reducing metals, which consists in exposing a metallic oxyfluorid to the action of heat and a metallic carbid the combined elements of which are capable of abstracting the oxygen and fluorin.

at. The process of reducing metals and producing alloys thereof which consists in heating a mixture containing two or more metals combined with oxygen and haloid element, with a metallic carbid the combined elements of which are capable of abstracting the oxygen and haloid elements thereby liberating the metals and producing alloys thereof.

5. The process of reducing aluminium which consists in exposing aluminium oxyfluorid to the action of heat and a metallic carbid, the combined elements of which will unite with the oxygen and fluorin.

6. The process of reducing aluminium, which consists in exposing aluminium oxyfluorid to the action of calcium carbid and heat.

7. The process of reducing aluminium, which consists in introducing into an inert molten bath a mixture of aluminium oxyfiuorid and a metallic carbid, the combined elements of which are capable of extracting the oxygen and fluorin.

8. The process of reducing metals, which consists in exposing a compound to be reduced containing a metal and two or more non-metallic elements to the action of heat and a metallic carbid the combined elements of which are capable of combining with the electron-egative constituents of the compound.

9. The process of reducing metals which consists in exposing at areacting temperature a composition containing metal and two or more non-metallic elements to the action of a carbid the combined elements of which are capable of combining with the electronegativc elements of the composition.

10. The process of reducing aluminium which consists in extracting aluminium from acompoundthereofcontaining associatedelements capable of uniting with the combined elements of a carbid, by exposing said compound at a reacting temperature to the action of a carbid.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two, witnesses.

HENRY SPENCER BLACKMORII.

\Vitnesses:

D. W. GARDNER, HARRY R. KING. 

